Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele called out his former employers and current RNC chair Reince Priebus for not pushing back harder against recent comments by Donald Trump regarding Mexican illegal immigrants on “Meet The Press” Sunday.
Steele told host Chuck Todd the RNC should have been “honest” and called it “what it is,” adding that “people are sophisticated enough” to figure out when “you’re just full of B.S.”
Steele, who served as RNC chair prior to Priebus, called out his successor for not coming out forcefully enough. Two weeks after Trump made his remarks, Priebus called them “not helpful.”
“You’ve got to have that Sister Souljah moment with the party, where you have to be honest and call it what it is,” Steele told the host. “I would have said sooner this is not the tone, this is not the effort. We have an autopsy report that says one thing, you are running counter to that. And you’ve got to sink that claim.”
“You’ve got to be authentic,” Steele said. “People are sophisticated enough to know when you’re just full of B.S.”
“Everyone in the country reacted to this and you didn’t, the party didn’t, and those who want to be president didn’t — until what? This week? That’s a problem,” Steele said. “It’s a problem of authenticity. It is a problem of legitimacy when you’re going to go speak to that community. What do you say to them?”
[h/t: Mediaite]